Portræt af Abildgaard? Kalke 1731 - 1802

This drawing, of unknown date and by an anonymous artist, is held at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. The sketch depicts a figure in the style of the late 18th century. His dress tells us something about the fashion of the time, but also the social status of the sitter, who is dressed in a jacket, cravat and breeches, the typical attire of upper middle-class men. The identity of the sitter is uncertain. Some believe it might be Nicolai Abildgaard, a leading Danish neoclassical artist and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. If that is the case, the drawing might be a study for a larger history painting, given Abildgaard's interest in civic virtue. Of course, the social and institutional history of art is always incomplete. Further research might illuminate the drawing’s relation to the Royal Academy, as well as the part it may have played in Abildgaard’s conception of the artist’s public role.